Latest news with #USMarineCorps250
Forbes
18-04-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
Journeyman NASCAR Driver Jeb Burton Keeps Growing With Partners
Jeb Burton, driver of the No. 27 Celsius Chevrolet, drives during practice for the Nascar Xfinity ... More Series US Marine Corps 250 at Martinsville Speedway on March 28, 2025 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by) Jeb Burton is a man on a mission. The Nascar Xfinity Series journeyman finally has a stable home with Jordan Anderson Racing, a small but mighty team. With just 30 employees, Anderson has built a competitive operation with two-full time entries. At 32 years old with 275 national series starts, Burton is the constant face of the organization. The two-time Xfinity Series winner, which includes JAR's lone triumph, is just on the outside of the Xfinity Series playoff bubble after nine races. But one top-10 finish doesn't tell the full story of how the No. 27 Chevrolet has performed in 2025. 'We've definitely made improvements from this time last year,' Burton said. 'It's been a fun, but frustrating start to the season. We're right on the edge for the cutoff and we're racing four to five cars. To make [the playoffs], we're going to have to execute and take advantage of some situations. 'We've come a long way. We're qualifying in the top 15 and running inside of the top 15 a lot. The cars that are outrunning us are all JR Motorsports, [Richard Childress Racing], [Joe Gibbs Racing] and [Haas Factory Team], and those are all Cup teams. We are doing a lot with a little.' Burton spent several years searching diligently for partners to compete full time in any of the top Nascar divisions. On numerous occasions, he inked full-time rides but lost them due to sponsors either backing out at the last second or even defaulting on payments. However, after a couple of strong partial seasons with JR Motorsports, he established a core sponsorship group to land full-time rides. Now, he is backed by major firms, such as Celsius, Golden Corral and State Water Heaters. 'It's taken a long time to build what we've built,' Burton said of his partners. 'It takes a lot of companies to make this work. We're working everyday to grow them and get some new ones, as well. We're so close to being where we want to be.' Not only is Burton working to bring these sponsors on as part of his program, but he wants to expand their relationship. With Celsius, for example, the energy drink company will be featured on his No. 27 car once again at Rockingham Speedway this weekend, the second time in a month. Celsius is scheduled to be on Burton's car once more over the final 23 races of the season. To be a full-time racer, though, is vital for Burton to grow his brand. People identify him as being a regular in the Xfinity Series, which has ratings momentum in 2025 with the addition of The CW. It's the first time since 2017 that the first nine Xfinity Series races have averaged over 1 million viewers. But the son of well-known 2002 Daytona 500 champion Ward Burton refuses to give up. While he tasted life in the Cup Series a decade ago with the backmarker BK Racing as a 22-year-old, he is itching to return to racing on Sundays. 'I want to be racing on Sundays,' Burton said. "That's where I want to go. I race around guys who race on Sundays, but they have resources around them and good teams. When I took that opportunity in Cup, I took it so I could find another opportunity. That opportunity wasn't really a fair shake because that team had no resources. The gap was so big from 30th to 15, where now it's a lot tighter. 'We're working on some stuff now to run some Cup races later in the year.' Burton ran one Cup race in 2024 in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway with non-chartered Team AmeriVet. The No. 50 car finished 18 laps down. For now, Burton's focus remains on the Xfinity Series, where he is searching for his third career win. He is one of three drivers in the field that has competed at Rockingham in some form (Kasey Kahne and Ryan Sieg).
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NASCAR penalizes Sammy Smith for actions on last lap of Martinsville Xfinity race
NASCAR has penalized Sammy Smith 50 points and fined him $25,000 for wrecking Taylor Gray from the lead on the final lap of last weekend's Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway. The penalty drops Smith from sixth in the points to 13th in the points heading into Saturday's race at Darlington Raceway. AUTO: MAR 30 NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 March NASCAR Cup rankings: Christopher Bell climbs to top spot Advertisement Christopher Bell won two of the five Cup races in March and finished second in another race. Smith turned Gray's car entering Turn 3 last weekend at Martinsville and triggered a multi-car crash as the field came to the finish line. 'I thought he would have done the same to me,' Smith said after the race. 'He moved me if I was in the lead. That's what you have to do. If you don't do that, you're going to be the one getting run over. 'I know that everyone is going to mad and upset at me and say I'm a dirty driver, but I don't care because everybody does it. If I was just going to accept it and finish second today, then that just wasn't going to set well with me.' NASCAR Xfinity Series US Marine Corps 250 Competitors express displeasure in the racing at end of Martinsville Xfinity event Advertisement Multiple incidents late and a multi-car crash on the last lap triggered strong emotions. Smith's actions sparked anger from competitors about what he did and the state of racing in the Xfinity Series. Cup driver Denny Hamlin criticized the racing and called for NASCAR to step in during the race. Hamlin wrote on social media that 'Martinsville is a track that could use a (sic) 'avoidable contact' penalty. He also wrote on social media: 'God I wish I were in the (TV) booth. Id (sic) get fired but I damn sure would call these idiots out.' Xfinity winner Austin Hill said after the race: 'I think at the end of the day when it's a green-white-checkered at a Martinsville race, the respect and stuff is out the window and I hate to say that. I really do. I'm probably not the best one to speak on it, but I wish there was a way we could settle it down a little more to where it wasn't so just beating and banging and knocking each other's doors off and running through people. I wish we could race a different way at Martinsville than what we do.' Said Joey Logano on Tuesday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio about Smith's actions on the final lap: 'Going from two car lengths back and straight up dumping someone. Not acceptable. That's not aggressive driving. That's demolition derby. That's unprofessional.'
Gulf Today
30-03-2025
- Automotive
- Gulf Today
Austin Hill captures action-filled Xfinity race at Martinsville
The speedway that robbed Austin Hill of a spot in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship 4 two years ago gave him a gift on Saturday. Diving underneath a trio of wrecking cars in the final corner of overtime at Martinsville Speedway, Hill beat perennial bridesmaid Sheldon Creed to the finish line by 0.190 seconds to win Saturday's US Marine Corps 250, giving team owner Richard Childress his 100th win in the series and earning a $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus for the unlikely winner. The ending of the race couldn't have been more appropriate, given the rash of cautions that peppered green-flag action in the final stage. The ending also left 29th-place finisher Taylor Gray with thoughts of vengeance and 10th-place finisher Sammy Smith with an ostensible target on his back. After the 14th caution for Matt DiBenedetto's spin in Turn 2 sent the race to overtime, Gray lined up behind Smith, the leader, and used his bumper to wrest the top spot from Smith. Gray was returning the favor from the previous restart on Lap 249 of 256. Austin Hill poses with the Xfinity Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus check. AFP Gray, seeking his first Xfinity Series win, held the lead until Turn 3 of the final lap, when Smith charged into the corner, spun Gray's No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and knocked it into the outside wall. Hill hit the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet of Justin Allgaier from behind and sent him crashing into Smith. Hill sneaked through on the bottom, bringing Creed with him, as Allgaier held on for third. In the surprising victory, Hill led less than a quarter mile before taking the checkered flag. "I chose the bottom because of how rough everybody was on restarts," Hill said of the overtime. "I had to do what I had to do on the last lap. On that restart, it just got wild. We were definitely leaning on each other, and getting into (Turn) 3, I knew we were all going to get beating and banging, and I just drove it in as deep as I could. "The all hit each other, and I hit the 7 (Allgaier) a little bit and dumped him off and got on the apron there and came home with the win. ... Man, I'm in disbelief that we're in victory lane right not. It's unbelievable. I actually said at the end of the race that I hated this place because of all the beating and banging that was going on -- and to top it off, we won a hundred grand!" Austin Hill celebrates in victory lane. AFP After 14 cautions for 104 laps, pole winner Connor Zilisch's sweep of the first two stages seemed a distant memory. Zilisch, however, didn't figure in the outcome after a series of spins and contact with the outside wall eliminated him from contention and he finished 28th. Gray took the lead for the second time on Lap 183 and held it for 66 circuits and a series of six restarts. But Smith lined up behind the No. 54 Toyota for the restart on Lap 249 and moved Gray for the lead. Smith's charge into Gray's Toyota on the final lap was more egregious. "I feel like we had the best car all day," said Gray, who suffered a similar fate in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series loss to Christian Eckes last year. "I can't thank everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing enough. We brought a really fast Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra. "Just unfortunate -- it's the same story I've lived here for the past two Martinsville race in a row. It sucks, but it is what it is. Long year." Smith acknowledged that the last lap maneuver was over the top. He and Gray had a testy exchange after the race. "I'm not proud of that, but if the roles were reversed, he would have done the same thing," Smith said. "He's got no respect for me. ... He was flipping me off on the red flag (for a multicar wreck that caused the 12th caution), swore at me. It was definitely uncalled for. "I'm not proud of it, but he would have done the exact same thing. That's what I told him." Brennan Poole finished fourth after the melee, joining Hill, Creed and Allgaier as eligible contenders for the next Dash 4 Cash bonus, to be contested April 12 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Sam Mayer was fifth, followed by Dean Thompson, Daniel Dye, Ryan Sieg, Kris Wright and Smith. Zilisch led a race-high 100 laps to 87 for Gray. Creed, still seeking his first Xfinity victory, finished second for the 14th time, extending his record number of runner-up results for a non-winner. Coincidentally, it was contact from Creed that denied Hill a spot in the Championship 4 in the fall race of 2023 -- when both drivers raced for RCR. Associated Press
NBC Sports
23-03-2025
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
Highlights: Xfinity Series at Miami on The CW
Watch the US Marine Corps 250 on Saturday, March 29 at 5:00 p.m. ET on The CW. Find your channel now: Stream free next day on The CW App.
